This exhibition presents the works of visual artists who are associated with the Episcopal Church. It explores the impact on these artists of both landscapes and cityscapes as well as the interior faith and belief constructs which influence artistic concept, theme, subject matter, medium and even style. Artists were drawn from Chapters of the Episcopal Church and Visual Arts (ECVA) from around the United States: San Francisco, Elgin (Texas), New York, Boston, and the North Shore (Boston). Each artist was asked to submit a brief statement of influence for images submitted. Most artists complied with this request.

Artists participating in this exhibition maintained studios in both city, suburban and rural environments. One might have expected that those working in the city would be influenced by human activity while those outside of the city would be more inclined to reflect the world of nature. Interestingly, presentation of the natural world predominates in most of the work presented regardless of the environment in which the artists created. There is a clear preference for focusing on God's spirit indwelling the world of nature rather than the world of men and women. Jenna Higgin's (North Shore) painting, Winter Walk Alone is of a cold and snowy New England pathway in winter. Sara Waterbury's (San Francisco) paintings reflect on the beauty of flowers. Heidi Christensen's (Boston) painting Hemlock is of the dead and twisted lower branches of a pine tree while her Shells, Time and Light frame collected seashells in a grid system. Barbara Miller's (San Francisco) watercolors reflect on natural beauty (Silver Island Mountains) or nature in relationship to human dwellings (Carmel Mission and Door in Provence).

Some artists in the exhibition present work that reflects on an interaction between the natural world and the world of human creation. John Moody's (New York) Mall Tree I, a winter landscape in New York's Central Park, has ghostlike buildings rising up indistinctly in the background. In his Backlit Tree we question whether it is the sun or artificial light which illumines. In his Lake Branches we yearn to see a boat and fisherman behind the branches in the early morning lake fog. In James Janknegt's three treasurefield paintings, Treasurefield Triptych we find human activity in the midst of a natural environment. In the center panel on a winter grass "rug" surrounded by leafless trees, a family holds a garage sale. To the left, on an autumnal field, a man with a metal detector searches for idolatrous items pictured in the border of the painting. To the right on a spring field with a cityscape in the background, a treasure hunter holds up the true treasures of the Eucharist surrounded by the wildflowers and bread and wine in the painting's border. In two of Erin McGee Ferrell's (North Shore) three paintings, human figures are seen next to windows which frame landscapes. In Pregnant Landscape a naked woman stands before a rugged mountainous exterior, while in Interior Self-Portrait (girl by a window) the girl sits by a window absorbing the sun's rays. Her third painting, Salt Marsh, is a traditional seascape. Ellen Francis Poisson (New York) presents two pencil drawings of dead leaves but in one there is the addition of an empty glass. Given that Ellen is a sister in the Order of St. Helena, her work asks if she is pointing to a life without faith (empty chalice) being like a leaf without life? Here the natural world and the world created by humankind are seen as mirror reflections.

A number of artists with studios in cities either present human subject matter as central to their work or reference humanity through human activities. Beverly Brookshire' (New York) painting Icon, Our Lady of Sutton Place shows a young boy and his nanny in Sutton Place standing in front of the 59th Street Bridge. Each have halos. The boy has a shirt displaying the Greek symbols for Jesus Christ. The woman is viewed as a Madonna. This is very much in the tradition of icon paintings. Brad Johnson's (Boston) two paintings respond to the presence of air traffic in his neighborhood and are haunted by the 9/11 terrorists who commandeered planes which departed from Logan Airport. Krystyna Sanderson's (New York) three black and white photographs of interior New York City environments are from her Places of Light series – in the Friend's Meeting House in Brooklyn, at Grace Episcopal Church in Manhattan, and in the Cloisters in Upper Manhattan. They are illuminated by sunlight streaming into stark interiors through openings to the outside world. They make reference to human community. Two of Brian Crowson's (New York) black and white photographs are also devoid of humanity yet the organ pipes bespeak of music making and the colonial windows with diamond shaped panes refer to an era of slave labor. The altar like large rock photograph is set in Central Park yet with a small human figure seen standing in front of walkway benches. The three color photographs of Jay Prignano (New York) play off against the city itself. Portable Skyline reflects city buildings in the windshield and hood of a car. Private Eyes images city buildings as those structures which are watched by us and from which we are watched. Fireworks is an animated (gif) collage displaying how light transforms city architecture.

Two artists submitted mixed media work which reflect on Christian themes employing human figures which are nevertheless abstracted from the immediacy of our current age. In The Three Marys, Mary Melikian's (New York) three halo crowned women, one of whom is her grandmother who perished in the Armenian Genocide, bond into a timeless trinity. In Mel Ahlborn's (San Francisco) Late Have I Loved You a single female figure becomes an iconographic illumination of a St. Augustine text.

Three artists presented work which was abstract either in terms of image or concept. John Cadigan's (San Francisco) three wood cuts, Brain Machine, Direction, and Remains, present the mind's internal struggle for meaning. Moses Hoskins (New York) three untitled paintings challenge the viewer to question whether or not there is any need for meaning beyond aesthetic issues of artistic formality. Finally, Noel Hennelly's (New York) Everything that is unimportant falls away, a graphite drawing of a hare's skeleton displayed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, allows the image to alter between positive and negative by moving the cursor on and off the image. As to her influences, she writes, "One of the best things about living in a city like New York is having ready access to its cultural institutions and museums."

Exhibiting artists were also asked to submit a statement indicating how their Christian faith influenced their work. Incarnation is a central belief of Christianity wherein God is incarnate ("embodied in flesh") in the world through the person of Jesus Christ. As God is viewed as the creator of all things, God's essence resides in all of creation. Therefore, whatever subjects an artist may choose, whether it be a human being or a flowering shrub, God's Spirit dwells within it. Many artists shared thoughtful reflections on their faith and their creativity. Jenna Higgins (North Shore) writes that, "The seasons are the best reflection of God's intentions for the world and mankind. With life being so busy it is hard for us to remember that there is a time and a cycle for everything to happen… Living in New England is one the few places where when watching nature you can experience the cycle that God intended us to live by going inward and outward." Barbara Miller (San Francisco) writes that she is "moved greatly by what is around me in the environment and I consider myself a medium to express God's love on earth by the beauty that surrounds me whether it is landscapes, buildings, or animals." Ellen Francis Poisson (New York) writes that she "tried to observe the details and beauty of these (throw away) objects as a meditation on holiness in all creation, even those pieces of creation which we usually overlook or discard." Sara Waterbury (San Francisco) writes that, "The influence of the environment to my painting and my faith is in the process of creation and the imagination… I respond with all that has been given to me through the church and through experience (in hopes that) I may be able to create work that is filled with the life that has been given to me." Heidi Christensen writes, "As my Christian journey deepens, the integration of my faith and artistic explorations seem to meld, evolve and unfold. My methods of painting and rendering form, an almost hyper-observant style, are experienced as a contemplative, meditative encounter… In the time spent (creating) it seems possible to see …to the heart of the object (observed) …(to arrive at) a moment when an understanding that God is in all things and that when all things are profoundly observed, they will offer up the key to their fundamental distinctiveness, that which is at the very core of its relationship to its creator."

Erin McGee Ferrell (North Shore) writes about her painting, Salt Marsh, that it "was one of those moments when I recognized the guidance of the Holy Spirit …I am moved by grace in having experienced God's presence on these marshes" In her other two paintings of human subjects set against natural back grounds, she writes that "the girl by the window loves to sit in the sunbeam, enjoy the beauty of her surroundings, and talk to God (Interior Self-portrait)" and that "(this) painting is a prayer on paper, begging God to advocate for the baby's life. I look at the hills outside my window and ask for the strength to bear what the future holds (Pregnant Landscape)." James Janknegt (Elgin,Texas) writes that his Treasurefield Triptych is based on Jesus' parable of the treasure in the field. Mel Ahlborn (San Francisco) writes, In ‘Late Have I Loved You "I chose the words of Augustine to enclose and diffuse the mantle of a woman suspended in the weightless moment of perceived Grace… Her right hand drops a flower, representing her turning away from the beauty of the visible world, and alludes to her choosing the inner world of spiritual life."

Exhibiting artists whose work reflected city environments also wrote about God's presence. About her Places of Light series Krystyna Sanderson (New York) relates that "Places of Light is all about light pouring through open doors and windows to illuminate dark places. My soul makes a parallel between my own darkness and Him who rescues me from my darkness… To be in darkness is to be without hope… Light means life. How much more hope, joy and life there is if it comes in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ." Jay Prignano (New York) works with the New York cityscape. Regarding his photograph Portable Sky he writes, "This picture also reminds me of 1 Corinthians 13 which states ‘through a glass darkly, then face to face.' Just as the landscape is distorted by the surfaces of our shiny car so will we be seen clearly by our loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." About his work Fireworks he writes, "This animated collage shows how light transforms the building, which become like a canvas when light is reflected upon it. It makes me think about how God's light transforms us as we come to believe." Beverly Brookshire (New York) writes about the iconography she employs in her painting Icon, Our Lady of Sutton Place, "Each child is perfect – represented by the Greek symbols IC-XC (Jesus Christ) on the T-shirt. And, to me each nanny is a Madonna… each weed has three leaves, representing the Trinity. A cross… is painted on the ball at the child's feet." Noel Hennelly (New York) writes about her drawing, Everything that is unimportant falls away, "To Christians (the hare) is a symbol of vigilance and the need to flee from sin. The rabbit has no weapons with which to defend itself, therefore representing trust and dependence on Christ's provision, protection, and mercy. The rabbit's burrow is a symbol of Christ's tomb."

Other artists in this exhibition spoke about their creativity and faith in a more abstracted manner. Brad Johnson (Boston) writes, "I paint in order to leave a physical record of time's passing and to puzzle over what out time is about. My faith is a project to remember what I've seen and wrestle with what I think is. I paint to take note." John Moody (New York) writes, "As a priest and an artist I am interested in process both in human relationships and in the making of art… By applying a variety of media in nontraditional ways the resulting work attends to this process and I hope gives an impression of nature which reflects both natural and spiritual growth." John Cadigan (San Francisco) writes, "I explore the mystery of God in my work and feel like Jean Cocteau who once said that ‘Asking an artist to explain his work is like asking a plant to explain horticulture.' " Mary Melikian (New York) wrote about her painting, The Three Marys, that it "depicts some of the Marys who once lived in the Holy Land. A holy people in a holy land." Brian Crowson (New York) wrote about his photography, "Much of my work focuses on the organic architecture of Central Park… I'm often amazed at the church-like ‘structure' of many areas in the Park… Yet I'm also drawn to church structures themselves, particularly the 17th and 18th Century Episcopal parishes near my childhood home in Virginia's Tidewater region." Finally, Moses Hoskins (New York) challenges the viewer towards understanding influences and meaning. He writes, "Tactile, emotive, cerebral and spiritual deductions, assumptions or interpretations are left to the viewers perceptions."

There are factors in every age which effect artists' creativity. Artistic schools, styles, and movements develop in a given age in response to cultural and artistic realities. Modern Art developed in the last century as European artists responded to the impact of industrialization and the horrors of World War One. Prior to this, an Impressionist could go beyond realistically replicating the subject matter of a tree by getting to the essence through offering an "impression" of the tree. By the beginning of the twentieth century, however, artists had seen the devastation brought to entire forests by motorized weaponry and to the earth itself as mustard gas polluted trenches. Not surprisingly, in Modern Art the picture plane was shattered and broken up in Cubism and the very ascendancy of man was mocked in Surrealism and Dadaism. Today we live in a very frightening age in which humankind displays its destructive inclinations. For the first time in human history we have nuclear technology capable of destroying the planet. In this country we are no longer immune from devastating terrorist attack. There exists for many a feeling of hopelessness and powerlessness. It is perhaps not surprising therefore that we find in this exhibition by ECVA artists, all professed Christians, that the majority focus on the reality of nature in which God's presence is clearly experienced as a constant, rather than on the realities of humankind.

The Rev. Thomas Faulkner
Co-Curator

The Rev. Thomas Faulkner is Priest Associate at St. James' Church, New York City. Tom serves on the Advisory Board of ECVA and is Co-Chairperson of the Exhibition Committee. He is a sculptor maintaining studios in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn and in Wyarno, Wyoming. Tom is married to the Rev. Brenda Husson, also an Episcopal Priest, and with their four year old son Christopher live in Manhattan. His most recent work, Walking The Way of The Cross, was the featured Lenten ECVA exhibition this year and can currently be viewed in the Exhibition Archive of the ECVA website.